IMAX

Google made a switch from virtual reality to augmented reality in an apparent hardware-focused move in late 2017. The move was made public this week in a behind-the-scenes confirmation of a cancellation of an IMAX VR project announced previously. Google and IMAX announced a collaboration on a VR camera back in May of 2016 - all that appears to be over right this minute.

A decade ago, the Batman film The Dark Knight was released unto an unsuspecting world populous. The Dark Knight was released on the 18th of July, 2008, and on a budget of $185-million, it brought in over $1-billion in box office revenue. Now, 10 years after its initial release, Batman: The Dark Knight is getting an IMAX re-release.

Back in May, it was announced that IMAX would be opening several virtual reality theaters to give movie-goers a proper (read: better-than-home) VR movie experience. At the time, the report stated the theaters would begin to launch by the end of 2016 starting in Los Angeles, and while it took a bit longer than expected, the first IMAX VR theater is indeed in LA.

It's been a few years since the Harry Potter film series wrapped up, but J.K. Rowling's fantasy world will be returning to theaters next month with the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Though the new movie won't feature the familiar Potter cast, there will be one way to catch Harry, Ron, and Hermione back on the big screen one more time. IMAX announced today special screenings of the entire series in the lead up to the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Acer has opened up on just what it believes will make its Star VR headset a success in the face of Oculus, Vive, and Gear VR, bringing both the latest devices and some content partners to IFA 2016 in Berlin this week. Announced earlier in the year, Star VR is Acer's take on the growing virtual reality space, as it attempts to expand its success in gaming with the Predator line into a new, and growing segment.

Can’t muster up the energy to travel to your nearest IMAX theater? IMAX will build you a top notch private home theater, but it’ll cost a pretty penny: the prices start at $400,000, and that doesn’t appear to include access to the movies themselves, which can run another $30,000 or more per year. These home theaters have proven popular in both China and the Middle East, and now they're picking up traction in Europe and North America, too.

IMAX, the company behind the technology used in those really big movie theater screens that certain films play on, has plans to give virtual reality a similar theater-going experience. Before the end of the year, IMAX will open six locations to host "VR experiences" that go above and beyond what consumers can get at home, reports the Wall Street Journal. These experiences will held in places like movie theaters and malls, starting with Los Angeles and eventually heading to China.

The movie “Avengers: Infinity War”, both the first and the second parts, will be filmed entirely using IMAX cameras, making them the first two movies to do so. The announcement came from IMAX today, which has revealed that the movies’ directors Anthony and Joe Russo will be using the recently revealed IMAX 2D digital camera. We’d previously heard that the Russos were slated to get access to the cameras, and that about 15 minutes of “Captain America: Civil War” will be filmed using them.

Captain America: Civil War will be the first film that uses new IMAX 2D digital cameras, it has been confirmed. Only a small portion of the movie will be filmed with the cameras, but it is being teased that those moments -- and one in particular -- will be grand to behold, lending a cutting-edge-tech feel to what looks to be another exciting Marvel movie. The cameras themselves were made as part of a partnership between IMAX and Arri, and join the existing 2D film cameras and 3D digital cameras.

While traditionally known as an audio company, Dolby has just announced its own large screen movie projection format to rival IMAX. Dubbed "Dolby Cinema," the movie-going experience will of course feature the company's sound technologies, but paired with "Dolby Vision" (not too creative with names, are they?), to show a HDR (high dynamic range) video with unmatched visuals.

One bit of detail has been cleared up in the wake of the release of the first Star Wars The Force Awakens trailer. That detail is in the IMAX filming of this movie. Earlier this year it was suggested by Bad Robot productions that massive IMAX cameras would be utilized in the filming of Star Wars 7. Images provided by Disney today make clear what that'll mean for those of you heading to theaters in December of 2015: you're going to need to head to an IMAX theater to get the full experience.